INTERIORS

Modern to Traditional Living Room Makeover

One of the biggest benefits of building a home is being able to choose everything– from the crown molding to the flooring and everything in between.

But people who desire a home with character or one in an established neighborhood usually buy a pre-owned home. While pre-owned homes have many advantages, it’s common for buyers to get a home that doesn’t exactly fit their style.

Think wall-to-wall carpet, dark wood paneling, popcorn ceilings, and pastel bathrooms. 

And, though our client’s newly purchased home wasn’t outdated, it still didn’t fit her traditional and elegant style. 

One room the Lisa Gilmore Design team re-envisioned was the formal living room.

home renovation before_formal living room

Formal living room before

Before, the room was a bit too modern with a crystal chandelier, light coastal blue walls, and dark wood flooring. 

formal living room before renovation_interior design

Formal living room before renovation

To make the room feel more timeless, we chose a palette of softened primary colors mixed with neutrals. The gorgeous, classic chinoiserie wallpaper creates a feeling of being at one with nature, while delicate ornaments featuring birds and rabbits embody life.

We were also able to reuse the homeowner’s side chairs and reupholster them in a light, cream fabric.

traditional living room interior design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

Our goal for the entire home renovation was to add warmth and luxury to the space, while ensuring it was still inviting at the same time. You can read more about the whole project at Homes and Gardens.

But if you are unable to completely renovate a room, there are still ways to inject your style into a room. Consider small investments such as changing the lighting, painting the walls or furniture, replacing the window treatments, or adding accessories like rugs, art, and decorative accents.


To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow me on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.

4 Things Every Guest Room Should Include

If you love to travel, you know that the best hotels create incredible experiences for their guests. At the top of the list is Ritz-Carlton, which is known for its β€œGold Standard” service. In fact, employees can spend up to $2,000 per day per guest to resolve problems. That translates into extraordinary service in everything from couriering an item left-behind to a guest to finding special food to accommodate a child’s food allergy.

If the Ritz can care for strangers this well, shouldn’t we care for our friends and family even better?

With little effort, we can create a well-designed, thoughtful space for those we love and know best.

Chic guest room interior design

Lisa Gilmore Design / Native House Photography

4 Things Every Guest Room Should Include


High-quality bedding

One of the things that are most important to include in a spare room is inviting and comfy linens. You want your guests to feel luxurious and pampered in your guest room, so purchase high-quality, soft bed linens with a high thread count. And, keep an extra quilt or folded duvet at the end of the bed in case a guest gets cold. In warmer months, consider keeping a fan in the closet in case your guest gets hot.

Practical items

There are certain items that make every guest’s stay at your home easier. Start with a luggage rack so they can easily unpack their suitcase. Then, consider where your guest will put their clothes. Create a space for clothes to be hung and perhaps an empty drawer to store folded clothes.

Another must-have for your guests is plenty of electrical outlets and spare chargers. You can plug in a power strip exclusively for guest use, and buy a couple of extra chargers that work with Android and iOS devices. And, display your wifi information in a visible place so your guests can stay connected while away from home.

chic bedroom interior design

Lisa Gilmore Design / Native House Photography

Lisa Gilmore Design / Native House Photography

Small touches

If you want to create a Ritz-Carlton-level experience, you have to pay attention to the small touches. Consider some of these ideas:
- Place a pretty water carafe and glasses on the nightstand or dresser.
- Add a vase of fresh flowers to the room.
- Put a notepad and pen on the nightstand or desk so your guests can write a quick note.
- Keep a few books or magazines in the room that guests can browse.
- Gather a few travel brochures so guests can plan things they would like to do while in town.
- If you host frequently, leave a guest book for people to sign and read others’ well wishes and love.

Lisa Gilmore Design / Native House Photography

Test it out.
The best way to know what could make your guest space even better is to spend the night in the room. It can be easy to forget things that would enhance your guests’ experience unless you sleep there yourself. This extends to testing the guest bath as well. What amenities would make your space even better?

Lisa Gilmore Design / Seamus Payne Photography

When we travel, whether for business or pleasure, we all long for a break from our normal routine. It’s nice to have a change of pace and let someone else take care of us for a few days. You can give your loved ones the respite that they are longing for by creating a retreat within your home. 

Give them a home away from home.

To get more advice from Lisa Gilmore Design, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow us on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter on our contact page.

Four Condos. Four Different Styles.

Condo construction is on the rise in metropolitan areas, especially cities in the southern and western U.S. And with good reason. 

Living in a condo has its advantages. They are ideal for individuals and families who want to avoid the maintenance of a larger home, travel frequently, want community amenities, or enjoy being close to entertainment and businesses. 

But, there are a few disadvantages that make potential buyers hesitant to select a condo, including a lack of privacy and limited parking. 

Another potential drawback is the myth that condos limit a homeowner’s style and decor, because it is essentially a concrete box. That’s where we beg to differ.

Lisa Gilmore Design wants to inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to condos.

We want to spotlight four condo projects we have designed with four completely different styles.


  1. High Rise, High Style

This 2,000-square-foot condo has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a den. The Lisa Gilmore Design team fully furnished the entire condo and renovated the kitchen and powder room.

Chic and glamorous interior design, luxury condo real estate, St. Petersburg , Tampa Bay, Florida

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

One of our favorite parts of this project was the custom marble backsplash that we designed to go perfectly with the space - it's a true piece of art.

black and white kitchen, marble kitchen backsplash, luxury high rise, st. petersburg, florida

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

The lighting selections, the millwork details in the raspberry-colored den, and the tile in the powder room were highlights as well.


2. Color-Blocked Painters Palette

Our team designed everything in this 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, and den condo as featured in Florida Design. The project entailed everything from flooring and tile, to lighting, to paint and wallpaper, to all the furnishings.

Colorful, modern and artsy luxury condo in St. Petersburg, Florida

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

One of the highlights of this project were the ottomans and area rug (pictured below) that we designed and fabricated exclusively for this home.

colorful and modern luxury interior design, high rise interior design, tampa bay florida

A moody den, complete with custom ottomans by Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

modern and funky area rug, luxury interior design_ lisa gilmore design

A custom designed area rug by Lisa Gilmore. Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

Another favorite was the red desk, which was custom designed and made by OTTRA, which is based out of Brooklyn, NY. Lisa met the owners of OTTRA several years ago during the Brooklyn Design Festival, and they were finally able to collaborate on this beautiful desk in the home office/guest room.

colorful home office interior design, bold art, modern living, lisa gilmore design, St. Petersburg, Florida

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography


3. Artful Art Deco

This 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo was featured in RUE magazine. The LGD team’s design included all the furnishings, converting the dining area into a music lounge, and the guest room into a home office.

art deco eclectic interior design, luxury high rise interior design, st petersburg, florida, lisa gilmore design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

The client had a wonderful collection of antique area rugs that were a treat to work with.

art deco interior design_eclectic living_antiques and modern living_ luxury high rise, st petersburg, florida, lisa gilmore design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

She also had several arts and crafts and art deco pieces, which allowed us to capture her spirit, while pairing the pieces with modern items for an updated look.

art deco interior design, eclectic modern interiors, luxury high rise interior design, antiques, st. petersburg, florida, lisa gilmore design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

art deco interior design, art collection, luxury high rise interior design, moody interior design, st. petersburg, florida, lisa gilmore design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography


4. Fresh Hues Waterfront Retreat

This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath condo project involved furnishing the entire space and assisting with hard surface selections. Lisa Gilmore Design created a bar lounge area that flows wonderfully with the living room, dining room, and kitchen - the ultimate entertaining set up!

vacation home interior design, coastal interior design, modern interior design, whimsical vacation home, florida waterfront living, lisa gilmore design, florida design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

One of the unique aspects of this project was the amazing use of the space with 80% of the selections being indoor/outdoor items. Because this is a beach condo, this helps increase the longevity of the space, and extend the living areas outdoors. We truly loved all our use of textiles, pattern and color here. It feels so fresh, exciting, and not at all overwhelming.

colorful vacation home interior design, coastal modern interior design, unique beach interiors, lisa gilmore design, waterfront living, florida home

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

And, this was also a special project because we designed the banana-leaf chandelier in the living room with a local metalworker and electrician.

coastal interior design, colorful interiors, artsy interior design, luxury waterfront living, florida, lisa gilmore design, porter teleo fabric

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

brass banana leaf lighting, chandelier, luxury interior design, unique lighting, lisa gilmore design

Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

Despite their box-like layout, condos actually make a fantastic blank canvas for a designer to infuse your personality and style into your home. By combining unique colors, custom furnishings and lighting, and luxurious flooring, we can highlight the best features of your space and show off one of the best aspects of condo living– an abundance of natural light and incredible views.

To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow me on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.